The execution of the university's mission to create and disseminate knowledge through teaching, research, and public service relies upon the faculty, staff, and students who constitute the institution's most precious resources. Diversity has been recognized as a key component in realizing these objectives. Documents such as the California Master Plan for Higher Education and the affirmative action policies of the University of California define the near- and middle-term goals for UCSC in terms of eligibility pools. A longer-term vision for this campus, as a public institution of the State of California, is to strive to reflect the diversity of the state population in its various constituencies to the extent that is possible and appropriate.
Discussions of diversity are complicated by variations in the definition of key terms and by differences in the categories used to gather data on representation. Gender is perhaps the most straightforward, leading to the categorization of individuals as "male" or "female." Data on ethnicity is primarily based on the self-reports of individuals who are asked to select from a checklist of categories, typically including African American, Native American (or American Indian), Chicano, Latino, Filipino, Asian American, and white (or Caucasian). The designation of Student Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Program (SAA or SAA/EOP) is used to refer to groups (including African American, Native American/Alaskan Native, Chicano, Latino, Filipino, and low-income students) who are the targets of specific programs and activities designed to assist the university in promoting racial, ethnic, and economic diversity among its undergraduates. These programs also attempt to improve rates of enrollment at, and graduation from, UCSC for these groups. We use the terms "total (ethnic) minority" and "people of color" to refer to the sum of SAA groups plus the Asian-American group. The term "underrepresented group" is more restrictive in that some peoples of color are not underrepresented in some university populations.
The categories in terms of which data are reported have additional limitations. There is frequently debate within a group about the appropriate label to choose (e.g., white vs Euro-American vs Caucasian) and about who belongs in a given category. Group labels frequently obscure the diversity that exists within a group (e.g., Asian American or white). Individuals may feel primary affiliation to a group for which no category is provided or be limited to a single choice when he or she is a member of multiple groups. This self-study has generally adopted the labels for each constituency that were used to report the original data, but these terminological limitations should be kept constantly in mind. There are other categories for which we have little systematic information, but which represent important dimensions of campus diversity. These include sexual orientation, re-entry status (undergraduates who are 25 and older and graduate students who are 29 and older), income or class, disability, and veteran status.
In 1986, the WASC visiting team recommended that "the university continue to make special and deliberate efforts, not in just one or two colleges, but centrally visible, to recruit effectively, support fully, and retain students from ethnic minorities." As stated in the Twenty-Year Plan, a goal of UCSC is to "improve our recruitment and retention of underrepresented ethnic minority students, and to increase their proportion in the student body." To achieve these goals, the plan requires that the university: (a) "step up its efforts to seek out minority candidates in all recruitments"; (b) "create a climate in which ethnic diversity is promoted, studied, discussed, and integrated within the curriculum and social life of the campus"; and (c) "strengthen and expand . . . academic support programs . . . of special interest and importance to the academic success of minority students." The WASC recommendation and the objectives stated in the Twenty-Year Plan argue for the importance of examining linkages between various campus constituencies and campus diversity.
In discussing diversity in each campus constituency (undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, and faculty), we evaluate the relative proportions of legally underrepresented groups and the relative proportions of women and men. Recall that affirmative action goals apply only to groups defined as legally underrepresented (typically including some ethnic minorities and, in some categories, women). This view of diversity looks only at eligibility pools at a specific moment in time. In this self-study, we attempt to address a broader vision of diversity on campus as well by effecting comparisons, wherever possible and appropriate, to the ethnic and gender diversity of the state population.
This self-study section also discusses groups and issues for which little or no systematic evidence has been collected. In some cases, sheer numbers do not tell the whole story, either because of the relatively small absolute size of the category or because of variations within the group that are not revealed by relatively crude measures of total representation. We have also felt it essential to consider topics (like the assessment of campus diversity and the perceptions of campus climate for diversification efforts by and for different groups) that do not lend themselves to quantification. In general, however, the self-study's discussion of diversity is organized within the following four categories:
Undergraduate students. Diversifying the student body at UCSC is important for a number of reasons. First, a diverse student body enriches the academic environment and the educational experiences of all students. Second, as a public institution, UCSC is responsible for ensuring that California residents with appropriate aspirations, talents, preparation, and motivation are provided an opportunity to enroll. Third, in order to serve all segments of California's population, UCSC has a responsibility to see that patterns of low university participation based on race, class, and gender do not continue. Finally, the economic and social well-being of California requires optimum development of all of the state's human resources.
Graduate students. Graduate students are the pool of future faculty members. In their roles as teaching assistants, they are often in direct contact with undergraduate students and play an important role in their education. The composition of this population helps establish the undergraduate student's view of diversity in the institution and to define expectations and aspirations for post-baccalaureate studies.
Staff. Both front-line staff, in frequent and direct contact with students, and campus administrators play a defining role in the experience of students and faculty alike. Their role in the formulation and implementation of policy can be a constant reminder of the positive contribution diversity can make to the attainment of the university's objectives.
Faculty. With their multiple roles in the pursuit of the university mission, faculty members exercise a powerful influence over most of the essential activities that the university sustains. As teachers, mentors, and role models, they set the tone and create the climate within which diversity efforts take place.